This invention relates generally to restaurant ordering systems and, more particularly, to a restaurant system that incorporates innovative media and advertising components, mixed drink preparation devices, a wireless headset component, and a mobile kiosk system.
Most restaurants share several common goals, such as providing accurate and efficient service as well as providing an enjoyable dining experience. When either goal is not met, the customers may be dissatisfied and may not return to the restaurant with any frequency or, worse yet, may not return at all. Some restaurants are successful with efficiency or with providing a friendly and enjoyable dining experience but few satisfy both goals fully or regularly. Other restaurants, particularly bars and casinos provide bartending with so-called “flair” techniques, e.g. tossing or spinning liquor containers prior to or in the process of preparing mixed drinks.
Various electronic devices have been proposed in the art for either improving the efficiency of ordering or order fulfillment, such as by increasing speed or accuracy or both. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not maximize the entertainment value to customers while simultaneously assisting bartenders, kitchen staff, waiters, etc. with accurately and quickly preparing mixed beverages or food items. Another limitation of the prior art is that only a single user may use a kiosk or point of sale device during a dining event, requiring a restaurant to have one such device situated for every customer at the same time. In other words, an electronic device, such as an ordering device, must be located at multiple locations on a bar, at every table, etc.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a restaurant system having an electronic kiosk that may operate as a napkin dispenser or other condiment dispenser as well as an electronic display device. Further, it would be desirable to have a restaurant system having a database of drink recipes and one or more audio or visual means of communicating the recipes to a bartender. In addition, it would be desirable to have a restaurant system having innovative electronic mixing tins or pour spout devices for entertaining restaurant patrons while mixing beverages. Still further, it would be desirable to have a restaurant system having a mobile kiosk system so that a single kiosk may be slidably moved for use by multiple customers during the same dining experience.